US President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) at a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022.( File photo: AFP/VNA)

In the call, President Xi characterized US-China relations as “beginning to stabilize,” but he warned that negative factors have been growing, requiring attention from both sides. Xi said China and the United States should not cut ties or turn their back on each other, much less slide into conflict or confrontation.

The two countries should respect each other, coexist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation, the Chinese President said, adding that the relationship should continue moving forward in a stable, sound, and sustainable way, rather than going backward.

Xi underlined three overarching principles that should guide China-US relations in 2024: First, peace must be valued. Second, stability must be prioritized. Third, credibility must be maintained.

Taiwan, a key point of friction between the two countries, Xi urged the US to act in accordance with President Biden’s commitment not to support independent Taiwan.

Regarding US measures targeting trade and technology, Xi said China’s door will always be open if the US is willing to seek mutually beneficial cooperation, but if it is adamant on containing China’s hi-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to develop, China is not going to sit back and watch.

The two also discussed the Ukraine crisis and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The White House described the conversation as “candid and constructive” on a range of issues on which the leaders agreed and disagreed.

The two leaders reviewed and applauded progress achieved in anti-drug cooperation, communication between their  militaries, discussion of risks related to artificial intelligence, responding to climate change, and people-to-people exchanges.